Sidekicks
by marykent
Summary: Does the Hood have a sidekick? The citizens of Starling City think the Hood operates as a solo vigilante; but the Hood has some help on his mission. How is each person affiliated with the Hood dealing with the group dynamics? Post season 1 finale.
1. Chapter 1: Roy

Sidekicks

By MaryKent

I don't own it; I just hope you enjoy my musings.

Chapter 1: Roy

Life is a battle in the Glades. It is not the kind of battle that they describe in history books where there are orderly lines of soldiers marching in time to a drummer waiting for a signal from their general with brass buttons and seated on a white horse. Life in the Glades was probably more like some kind of covert military mission where a single brave man infiltrates the enemy's lines to steal government secrets all the while under the threat of discovery.

It is not a place to raise a family, but Roy would not say he was raised so much as he had to grow up in the Glades. Grow up and steal to survive.

The Glades were full of people like Roy. Each one doing whatever it took to survive and none wanted to stay.

Half of the residents had to leave. The east end of the Glades was destroyed by a manmade earthquake. The rest of the residents suffered all the more. Countless sums of money were being funneled into rebuilding. The new construction would be glorious if the proposed line drawings could be believed.

But Roy would never live in one of the new high rises. His neighborhood continued to be purely low income housing now fighting over items stolen from the rubble of east Glades.

The Glades were supposed to be receiving money from relief organizations and the government, but it was not helping the residents themselves. Crooked politicians red tape continued to hold up the money while crime lords and thieves ruled the streets. And one man, Malcolm Merlyn, succeeded at murdering half the Glades.

But the vigilante was the Glades redeeming hero. Even before the destruction of the Glades he targeted some of the Glades slum. Not everyone agreed on the Hood's controversial behavior, but Roy knew it was true: the Hood was a hero. People needed to stop the corruption in the Glades and elsewhere in the city. He did not care how it was done – by fear, intimidation, bow and arrow – just so long as he had an opportunity to help.

His diligence paid off. Roy discovered Oliver's secret. Now Roy filled his nights fighting crime instead of holding up fast food restaurants.

That is what he wanted to be doing at night.

But life never handed him any favors.

"Roy, why did you stop?"

"This is stupid," Roy glared up at Oliver.

Oliver glanced over at Roy. Roy slapped the water in a bucket again. Roy was humiliated. He was soaked. The water splashed every time he hit it sending another wave of liquid over his body and the floor. No one could fight crime with a particularly well placed water slap. "I am wet. The water is making a mess, and this is stupid. Why do I have to do this?" moaned Roy.

"You are the one that wanted to help. Why don't you figure out how this can help," Oliver said before turning around and climbing the salmon ladder.

Roy slapped the water in frustration. It splashed further but not far enough to hit his target: Oliver. Oliver was training, building speed, endurance, and agility that would keep him faster and stronger than his opponents. Roy could only hope that he was wet enough to slip out of someone's grasp like a slick fish if he had to fight.

Roy filled the bucket again and kept slapping the water. With every slap his frustration grew.

"How is it going over there?" Oliver inquired.

"Wet," Roy responded. He glared up at Oliver for a moment before taking another swing at the bucket. He wanted to help Oliver fight but he did not want to be constantly humiliated in the process.

While Roy was trying to remind himself why he was there in the first place, a loud splat startled him and a wave of water doused his already soaked body. Roy had not even noticed Oliver walking up to him.

"Are you paying attention to your surroundings?" asked Oliver. "You need to be alert while fighting."

"But I was not fighting. I was slapping water," Roy said, stating the obvious.

"Really?" responded Oliver. "I thought you said you said you wanted to train to fight crime with me. That means you need to be alert." Oliver turned and walked away again but continued talking to Roy while doing some target practice. "I was a worthless fighter once." Oliver rapidly drew an arrow, took aim, and sent and arrow straight into the bull's-eye. "The same person who taught me how to do that," Oliver gestured to the target, "had me slap water until she was pleased. Now get back to work."

Roy returned to his water slapping. Surely Oliver was not creating some massive practical joke. Oliver did not seem like the joking type. He was single minded on his mission while utilizing utilitarian ends. There was nothing comedic in Oliver's method.

Ultimately, Roy's resolve steeled him and he methodically slapped water while maintaining his vigilance.

Oliver walked over to Roy but stayed out of the splash zone. "What kind of skills do you have?" he asked, "other than dragging my sister into trouble."

Roy rolled his eyes before stating, "Whatever kind of fighting could keep you alive in the Glades. I didn't have many options other than learning to defend myself and quickly grab some cash or food." Roy gave the water an exasperated slap.

"So why go from being a thief to tracking down a vigilante determined to take down this city's thieves?" asked Oliver.

"You saved me," Roy responded. His eyes blazed with hero worship. The same passion that convinced Thea to search for the vigilante with him. Now I need to make my life matter. I want to stop the crime lords and mob men from destroying more lives. And now I want to help you right the wrongs done by Malcolm Merlyn," said Roy determinedly.

"What makes you think that you would actually be of help to me?" questioned Oliver.

Roy's eyes shown with excitement. He could almost feel the thrill of helping Oliver fight crime on the streets. "Batman had Robin at his side and Captain America was supported by Bucky."

Oliver dryly chuckled at Roy's response. Trust some kid to try make reality into the plot of a comic. "I don't need a sidekick and this is not a fantasy. There are real problems to deal with and each problem comes with its own real danger."

"I know. The disasters in the Glades have almost killed me before, repeatedly. I just want a chance."

Oliver saw that Roy was still caught up in searching for his own meaning and thought becoming a hero would provide him with fulfillment.

"The world has seen it a thousand times before," began Oliver, "a boy overcomes hardship, he gallantly fights for his valiant cause, and all the while he is tempted by a beautiful woman and manages to overcome his own desire in order to finally win a thrilling battle over the evil forces he encountered. Then the hero returns victorious and filled with satisfaction over his accomplishment. You will not do this so that the world will praise you though. If you are going to join me, you need to achieve self-submission. You are not in this for the glory. You will not be a martyr. You are committed to justice for this city. If legal justice incriminates you, you will go to jail. You will submit to justice just like I force my foes to submit. Do we have an understanding?"

Roy held out his still wet hand to Oliver and resolved, "Agreed."


	2. Chapter 2: Diggle

Sidekicks

By MaryKent

Chapter 2: Diggle

"Diggle. Look at Roy," both Felicity and Diggle turned to look at Roy squaring off against Oliver. The younger boy was clearly outmatched.

Diggle looked sideways at Felicity and quirked an eyebrow, "That boy is going down, and no outfit he wears will prevent it."

Felicity squirmed. "Well, he needs a little more practice-"

Diggle cut her off. "A little?"

Diggle had been skeptical of Roy's presence since he first found Oliver.

* * *

Roy had redoubled his efforts to find the Hood after the news stories about how the Hood assisted a Starling City detective to deactivate one of the earthquake triggering machines and took down Malcolm Merlyn. For the Hood's commitment to helping the city by trying to eliminate the Undertaking that had recently become known to the people, Roy worshiped the Hood. Meanwhile, Oliver was anguished by his actions and their inability to prevent widespread destruction. For nearly a year he had been crossing off names one at a time from his notebook. All the while, his mother knew exactly who to eliminate in order to stop the Undertaking. What was more, Oliver had stopped Malcolm's assassination under the assumption that he was actually saving Tommy's father.

The aftermath of that dark night was no better for Oliver. He had witnessed Tommy's death but refused to talk with anyone about it. His mother was arrested for her involvement in the Undertaking. Thea had run to Roy for comfort when it was clear that Oliver was too distraught to console her. And Oliver's rage had consumed him.

Rather than behave in the calculated and deadly manner Diggle was familiar with, Oliver fought with a brash disregard for his safety or need for justice. He would pick a fight with anyone he encountered.

Diggle nearly became Oliver's babysitter. Oliver was skilled at ditching body guards, but Diggle used every trick he knew to keep Oliver within his reach. Ultimately, Diggle's skill at following Oliver allowed him to break up fight after fight that Oliver instigated as the Hood. None of the fights actually targeted Oliver's foes; they were excuses to release his rage on an opponent.

Roy realized that the Hood was frequently fighting petty men in the Glades and therefore lurked around some of the darker streets in the remaining portion of the Glades. His diligence at searching out the Hood paid off when he ultimately found the Hood. However, instead of having the opportunity to offer to fight crime with the Hood, Oliver attacked Roy with a wicked punch to the face. Roy fought back and managed to dehood the Hood before Diggle arrived to break up the fight. Roy froze in shock as he recognized Oliver beneath the Hood and was rewarded by a sucker punch that knocked Roy out cold by the fist of the enraged Oliver.

When Roy awoke at the foundry, he was greeted by chaos from Oliver, Diggle, and Felicity. For weeks, Diggle and Felicity had been trying to hold together the group, but mostly trying to temper Oliver and his rage. They were at their wits end. Roy immediately insisted that he wanted to help the cause, fight crime alongside the Hood. Instead of further enraging Oliver, it somehow focused his anger on continuing to fight the corruption in the Glades. With a sinister, one track mind, Oliver regrouped into a calculating weapon fighting for justice in the Glades. But Diggle continued to question Oliver's morals and purpose after seeing his angry rage against everyone he encountered while in costume. Felicity struggled to maintain her composure while Oliver and Diggle were out and she was only present as a voice in their ear. A voice Oliver tuned out daily. Only Roy seemed to be enthusiastic and filled with a sense of worthwhile purpose.

* * *

Felicity tried to refocus Diggle on what she could influence, the gear. "The beauty is that his outfit is made from fabrics designed for athletes. It has built in body armor, and will provide a recognizable image."

"My outfits are comfortable for fighting in. They have the added advantage of blending into a crowd because they are street clothes," defended Diggle.

"And you could have a wardrobe malfunction if you were attacked and performed an extremely high kick to disarm your opponent," fired back Felicity.

"My outfits are fine. I even wear my protective vest underneath them so that I will not be hurt. It's the top of the line vest YOU insisted was the best."

Diggle was trying to get under her skin with that statement. But Felicity was persistent. "The costume would be just that, a costume. You can take it off."

Diggle just glared at Felicity.

Before Diggle could become defensive, Felicity hurried on, "We are not taking you to a tattoo parlor and insisting you get inked to match Oliver."

"Felicity, you understand that I have committed to protect freedom before? This time I am not just another new recruit fresh out of school with the liberty to risk my life every day," stated Diggle resolutely.

"That is why you should wear the suit. It's not a spandex cartoon suit. It is tailored for you with the ultimate in protective gear and communication within its seams. Wearing it will not only help protect you, but also give you your own identity. An identity separate from the Hood which will allow you to receive the recognition and therefore satisfaction that you are doing good for the city, not just babysitting Oliver."

Diggle turned away from Felicity and brought his hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose. Felicity reached out for his arm to gently pull him back around. In a teasing tone she resumed, "now Detective Lance will probably still want to arrest you, but he is still suspended so you don't have to worry. The people will receive hope from knowing another person is out there protecting them." Felicity knew that as the Hood's IT girl she wasn't likely to get recognition, but that couldn't stop her pride in knowing that her boys were giving people hope.

"That's just it though Felicity." Diggle struggled to relate his feelings. The feelings he continued to feel but tried to suppress. He suspected Felicity had noticed anyway. "I am not making this choice for me. I am making this choice for Carly and A.J. Before when Andy and I first joined the army, we were single and free. Then I saw what Carly went through when Andy died. I know that I am A.J.'s father in all but the legal sense now. And … I still want to be more for Carly. Instead, I have been spending my time here, and it used to be for a good cause, but since the earthquake I feel like my role is just to pull Oliver back when he becomes too emotionally involved in a mission."

Felicity could hear the honesty in his voice and depth of his anguish over his dilemma to continue on the mission or retire to family life. "You are more than just the person holding Oliver back from being carried away. Finding out what had been planned by Oliver's parents and Merlyn tore us all apart – Oliver most of all. And there have been many times when I was thankful you were there to restrain Oliver's desire for vengeance. But you, in and of yourself are so full of potential that I want people to see that when you protect them. And they will only know it is you if you give them an image to recognize you by."

Diggle shook his head. "It's not the costume, or outfit, or image I am hung up on. It's what happens to Carly and A.J. I can't keep lying to them. They need a commitment. I want to continue to help Starling City. The destruction to the Glades has shown how badly the city needs heroes, but I am not a new recruit to the Special Forces or an idealistic and ignorant kid like Roy over there. I have matured and I want to make a relationship with Carly work and have a family with them. I can't do that while lying to her about who I am and what I do. Some nights it feels more like I am sidekick to a psycho." Diggle looked away while he fiddled with an arrow but maintained the posture of a soldier that he never seemed to lose.

Felicity waited for him to look her in the eye. She could be patient. After all, he had finally laid down his pride and confessed what had been troubling him for weeks since the Glades had been destroyed and their little group had tried to rebuild itself before rebuilding the Glades. When he looked at her, she suggested, "Maybe it is time that Carly know the truth of what we do."

Diggle just stared at her. How could she suggest that he wondered.

Felicity allowed Diggle to digest what she had said. But it was reasonable she believed. Since the disaster in the Glades, the city's population finally understood why the Hood had arrived in Starling City. It had not taken long to trace nearly all of his targets back to the Undertaking. Additionally, Moira's testimony that the Hood had been working to prevent the destruction of the Glades added to their heroic standing. And Moira was an example of how having someone know who Oliver was benefited them. Her testimonies were sculpted to direct the attention away from questions about the Hood's involvement in the attempt to prevent the Glades destruction.

Allowing Carly to know the secret could allow her to assist with cover stories, feed them, and ease the tension John felt. It was clear that Carly knew John was keeping secrets from her for months.

"Oliver would never agree to that idea," stated Diggle. He was really trying not to become excited about the idea though.

"We both know that you and I serve as Oliver's conscience on many issues. This is weighing on your heart and has been ever since Merlyn's devices shook the city and our little team along with it. Oliver understands the importance of family and I think he will support you. Give it a chance. You don't have to choose between protecting your family and protecting the city. We all just need to find the balance. A middle ground where everyone can remain happy and safe."

"Thank you," whispered Diggle.

"Now, how do you like this charcoal colored fabric swatch with green accent trim? Or do you want your own identifying color?" Felicity asked as her ponytail bounced with her enthusiasm.

Diggle chucked easily for the first time since the Glades were shook.


	3. Chapter 3: Felicity

Sidekicks

By MaryKent

Chapter Three: Felicity

She didn't see this coming.

When she repeatedly performed strange requests for Oliver there was obviously an unspoken alternative objective. But gallivanting around the city dressed in green leather serving up an extra-large dose of justice to the people in Walter's book?

Felicity was smart, but she was not psychic. Oliver had a unique hobby.

Felicity had tried to identify at what point Oliver's "hobby" had also become her "hobby." It was definitionally a hobby; she spent nearly all of her free time devoted to the cause.

Once upon a time, a time Felicity hoped Oliver would never learn about, her hobbies had included brain team, math bowl, and other incredibly nerdy activities in retrospect. She had been no one's sidekick at school, and no one else was her sidekick. It was a lonely existence. Then she turned her nerdy computer thing into a job. She was well on her way to closing out her lonely twenties before settling down with another nerd who looked adorably quirky in a bow tie.

But then she somehow got wrapped up in the storm that seemed to blow wherever a Queen went. She went from writing script to underhandedly fighting crime. Surprisingly, she was happy to help Oliver. What's more, she felt genuinely satisfied by helping rid the city of those who were failing it. She could no longer identify when she switched from fulfilling her job obligation to seek Walter using the Queen's resources, to now actively defying the law process to persecute those who failed Starling City.

She was frequently anxious about protecting Oliver, Diggle, and now Roy from harm. Hence her new hobbies: browsing spy gear, searching for the best espionage equipment, and then tailoring it to serve the mission while protecting her boys.

Her boys. She even had a pet name for them.

So long as they came home safe and she did not have to scold them.

"Roy just talk normally. I will be able to hear you fine. Do you think I put a low quality microphone in your earpiece?"

"No," Roy shouted more than said.

"That was rhetorical!" Felicity was flustered. "Do you shout into your phone when you talk to Thea?"

She was greeted with silence from Roy.

"I asked a question Roy! You can't just ignore me, I need to know what is happening while you are on missions," implored Felicity.

"I thought that question was rhetorical too," Roy said, defending his silence.

Oliver and Diggle tried to look like they were ignoring Felicity and Roy while training but Felicity noticed. She always knew what everyone was up to. She spun around and glared at them. "Don't you have a cat to rescue from a tall tree somewhere in this city?"

Oliver and Diggle immediately set their minds to training.

Felicity seemed to have embraced authority over the group without anyone realizing they had handed over their autonomy. Her latest technological upgrade seemed to be especially troublesome but she was determined to work out the kinks and have everyone equipped with a micro microphone and transponder that no one would be able to see on their person. She shuttered to remember when she was caught intentionally counting cards and they knew to take her earpiece. Even if her boys, she was calling them that again, knew the risks of walking into dangerous situations, the least she could do was ensure they were well equipped.

A ringing sounded from her computer alerting all the people below Verdant. Felicity's custom police communication tracking program picked up a hit.

"I have an address for the current location of a Joe Cracker on the lower east side of the Glades," Felicity stated, now completely concentrated on the situation.

She put on her headset while quickly pulling up files about Joe Cracker on her numerous tablets at what she liked to think of as her thrown. "He was a factory employee before the company he worked for in the Glades was destroyed. Now he seems to have stolen numerous pieces of construction equipment. Police reports are saying he is on a rampage with the equipment, destroying new construction in the Glades. You can go…"

But she was cut off as Oliver, already donning his green leather, authoritatively said, "Diggle, prepare to follow me as my back up. Watch my back and take down any runners.

Oliver then loomed over Roy and all Roy could see of Oliver's face was the hard set of his eyes obscured behind the hood and green make up. "You will watch. From afar. Use binoculars if you need to. Do not come into the fight or be seen by one of gang members. Do you understand?"

Felicity thought she saw Roy gulp before he responded, "Yes."

Without a backward glance the three men left. "Bye," Felicity hollered before turning back to her computers. "At least you listen to me," she wistfully said to their screens. Perhaps her authority was not a complete as she liked to believe.

She dutifully tracked Oliver's movements in his car and alerted him to updates she heard coming through the police radios. As her screen showed Oliver and Diggle closing in she whispered "let's keep them safe now," before biting her lip and managing the fight from afar.

A/N: Joe Cracker is inspired by the minor villain of the same name from More Fun Comics #92. More to come on his character…


	4. Chapter 4: Oliver

Sidekicks

By MaryKent

Chapter 4: Oliver

Ask anyone a few years ago. Six or more years ago to be exact. Oliver was naïve. He was foolhardy, bullheaded, egotistical, playing with fire and about to get burned. Perhaps he was bound too tightly to the social hierarchy of the rich and famous. Perhaps he was just the arrogant son of a wealthy business man blowing off steam before settling down to scale the corporate ladder.

His existence had no purpose.

And then he had one purpose: to redeem himself and his family for the wrongs they committed to society.

In order to fulfill that purpose, Oliver needed to transform all the condemnable characteristics of his youth toward his new purpose. Once naïve, he was now mature. Where he was once foolhardy, he was now courageous. And he kindled the fire that previously threatened to burn him in a fiery blaze. He now used that fire to burn his adversaries. Mostly metaphorically burn, he had learned a bit of restraint on the island too.

While on the island, he dreamed of redeeming himself. Laurel would realize he was a changed man, a man worthy of her attention. He would maintain the professional business man façade by day and when he was not engaged with cocktail receptions and banquets at the company, he would systematically rid Starling City of crime and corruption.

He would be the real Bruce Wayne.

And he failed.

The Undertaking succeeded at out witting him. While the Hood had saved numerous people, prevented crimes, and apprehended villainous people in the Glades, Malcolm Merlyn had persevered. The Dark Archer defeated him and brought about the harm to the city that Oliver had set out to stop.

Oliver's bravado when he returned to Starling City was not enough to protect the citizens. Upon his return he had Diggle and then Felicity willing to help his cause. Despite their help, Oliver had seen his mission as a solo mission. He was the master of his own one man army.

He was wrong.

Oliver looked around the small gathering below his club. Even his club was not his own. It was more Tommy's than his.

Yet there still stood a gathering of people supporting him, willing to devote their time and energy to help him.

Diggle had always been there for him since the beginning. His presence brought strength and authority to every situation he encountered. Upon instructing Roy how to be a hero, Oliver finally realized how important Diggle's model of heroism influenced Oliver himself.

After all, heroes perform their duty similarly to how Diggle served zealously as a soldier. They do not fight because of a vendetta. They fight as a responsibility to their community.

Earlier that night, each of the people surrounding him demonstrated their own strength. Strength that Oliver could not match on his own.

Oliver had been occupied chasing down Joe Cracker. Instead of whipping out a pistol from under his jacket or grabbing a semi-automatic gun he had stashed somewhere, Joe grabbed keys and climbed into an enormous crane complete with a wrecking ball.

* * *

"I have been operating this machinery since before you were born!" shouted Joe with a wild pitch to his voice. "I've had some time to make a few changes too!"

With a dramatic lurch, Joe thrust a lever on the crane forward. The crane roared in response. The treads showered Oliver with rock and debris. Oliver quickly retreated to assess the best way to scale the crane and capture Joe in the cockpit.

"Watch out!" Oliver heard. "That crane is a two-headed beast." In the nick of time, Diggle alerted Oliver of the incoming wrecking ball. Instead of hitting Oliver, the wrecking ball impounded a parked car slamming it into a fire hydrant. A powerful stream of water began gushing out of the ruined hydrant.

Joe was apparently not concerned with causing damage because he was already repositioning the crane for his next attack. Oliver hurdled a low wall to escape Joe's visual field.

However, instead of waiting to spot Oliver again, Joe began wrecking the low wall and the side of an adjacent building.

A shower of crumbling bricks and even a rain gutter descended on Oliver. The frequency of Joe's attack was preventing Oliver from getting a chance to stop and shoot arrows at the cab of the crane. While running ducked over, Oliver hollered into his microphone, "Diggle, do you see a way to get up into that crane?"

"How good are you at jump starting construction equipment? I could use a bulldozer to distract him while you dodge the wrecking ball to get into the cab of the crane."

"Good. You get the dozer working." Oliver shuttered for a moment as the wrecking ball took out an entire wall of the condo complex he was perched near. Instead of running though, Oliver drew an arrow and nocked it to his bow. His shot was clean and true. The arrow would have penetrated a typical window but the window of the crane deflected the arrow easily. Construction equipment was built to hold strong while they destroyed other things. Unfortunately, a bow and arrow were not designed to take down a giant metal machine.

"I can't get this started Oliver. We need to get Roy in here."

"No." stated Oliver.

"He may be green, but he has the skills we need," Diggle shouted. Oliver could hear Diggle struggling to get the bulldozer running. Joe was not letting up on his attack. The wrecking ball had already made another pass at Oliver while Joe had the crane repositioned on the north side of the empty lot. The empty lot that was quickly gaining additional empty lots nearby.

"Fine. Roy-"

"At your service!" Roy eagerly volunteered.

"Roy, get the dozer working and immediately vacate the area. We don't need you being the hero tonight and instead becoming a pancake."

"Was that a joke?" a bewildered Felicity spoke up over the radio. "You insist on my complete professionalism on missions but now you can-"

"Felicity focus," insisted Oliver.

Oliver made one last effort to get close enough to the crane to escape the wrecking ball's range. However, instead of allowing him an opportunity to climb up the crane, Oliver fell backwards fleeing from the huge treads of the crane's wheels as Joe turned the crane. Then the wrecking ball came swinging toward him. Oliver scrambled up and ducked under a crumbling wall. The wrecking ball bounced off the side of the crane with a booming thud. Unfortunately, the crane was far more resilient that the nearby apartment walls and only sustained a small dent. Joe was in the cab quickly working the switches and levers to resume his attack on Oliver.

Meanwhile Roy joined Diggle in the bulldozer. Reaching for the electrical under the dash, Roy quickly pulled it out and began rewiring while keeping an eye out on the crane and the wrecking ball.

"The bulldozer isn't starting Oliver," cried Diggle on his microphone. "Joe must have changed the wiring. Roy can't get this started."

"We need a new plan before Joe destroys this entire city block," stated Oliver.

"Wait, the bulldozer is running now!" exclaimed Diggle. "Roy and I will distract Joe from the West side of the crane while you scale the crane and attack Joe."

Roy shoved the bulldozer's wiring back into the dash freeing the seat for Diggle to take control of the bulldozer's operation.

Just as Diggle was steering the huge piece of construction equipment forward, Roy threw his hands over Diggle's at the controls. "Look at the clock! It's a countdown timer. The engine must be rigged to be a bomb now!" Roy was already reaching for the door handle to escape the cab of the bulldozer.

"Roy, get out of here. Oliver, Felicity, it looks like Joe has rigged the construction equipment here with bombs. The timer still has three minutes on it. I am steering this as close to the crane as I can to hopefully take down Joe before bailing before the bomb's detonation."

Oliver came over the radio, "stay safe, Roy and I are leaving the area."

"Wait, Diggle!" called Felicity, "get the bulldozer to the front of the empty lot. Joe hit a fire hydrant earlier tonight. By now the water should be forming a sinkhole. If you can get the bulldozer to the sinkhole, when it blows the sinkhole should expand and trap the crane in it too."

"I am rerouting toward the hydrant," responded Diggle in his calm soldier manner.

"Just get out of there before the bomb blows," insisted Oliver.

Felicity anxiously chewed the edge of her fingernail. All she could hear from the microphone now was the roar of construction engines.

Oliver caught sight of Roy fleeing the scene of destruction. Clapping a hand on Roy's back, he pointed down the road and shouted "Run!"

Roy obeyed Oliver's order and ran. At the top of a ridge, he looked back on the scene. The dimly lit area was filled with destruction. There was a heavy cloud of dust surrounding the construction site that reflected the yellow security lighting back in his eyes. In the distance, Roy heard the wailing of police cars.

Oliver heard the sound of the police cars too and realized they needed to flee the scene quickly. He circled back and observed Joe was repositioning the crane to come into range to hit the bulldozer with his wrecking ball. Diggle was nearly in position near the sight they hoped would be a sinkhole.

Oliver was nearly ready to yell into the microphone that Diggle need to bail from the bulldozer when the door swung open and Diggle's dark shape emerged from the cockpit. Oliver waved to attract his attention and ushered him down the road Roy had previously run down.

Diggle took one last look back at the countdown timer on the dash.

The cuticle on Felicity's fingernail was bleeding. She could taste the sickly flavor of blood in her mouth. Trapped in the basement of Verdant she could not see for herself what was happening and all she heard on the radio was noise. Noise and no intelligence on how her boys were doing. From the construction blueprints she had pulled up, the underlying soil was a silty clay that could easily form a sinkhole. From a nearby security camera she hacked the feed to she could see Roy had run down the street away from the battle. There was heavy breathing coming over the microphone that must be Oliver and Diggle running. But she did not know how far they were or how long until the bomb exploded. She pulled her finger from her mouth and wrapped it in her other fingers as she pleaded to herself. "Get out of there. Stay safe."

Through her earpiece, Felicity heard the unmistakable sound of an exploding bomb. She clenched her eyes shut as explosions reverberated through the microphone. She looked up at her computer screens expectantly, a smile breaking over her face. Hearing the explosion that loud over the microphone meant that the microphones on Oliver and Diggle were not damaged in the explosion.

Then she remembered the risk of the sinkhole being large enough to consume them from further than the blast radius of the bulldozer. She decided the entire team needed refresher courses on how to keep her informed of their safety and status.

Turning back to look at the construction site where the team had first found Joe Cracker at the controls of a massive crane, Diggle began to chuckle. He grabbed Oliver's hand and the two shook hands as they looked through the thick cloud of dust. Immerging from the cloud was the long arm of the crane tilted precariously over the ground while the cab was lower to the ground level than before. Below the settling cloud of dust, at least half of the crane must have sunk into the sinkhole. There was no way that Joe Cracker would be able to use the crane as a weapon against the police that would be arriving at the scene momentarily.

Roy found Oliver and Diggle. In his enthusiasm, he wrapped his arms around his two role models in relief. Oliver was surprised but turned to Roy and his eyes shown with sincere joy instead of the rage that had been common in them for weeks.

Felicity let out a sigh of relief. She heard each of her boys chucking over their microphones. They had safely made it through another night of fighting crime. And this time, they had worked together. She hoped to herself that the nights of Oliver recklessly fighting with Diggle chasing him through the streets were over and they could resume their mission to better Starling City.


	5. Chapter 5: Carly

Sidekicks

By MaryKent

Chapter 5: Carly

Carly was seated at her homey kitchen table looking through a stack of newspapers. It was a tall stack that had been accumulating for a few weeks. She had been meaning to take them out for days now, but mornings always seemed to rush by as she got A.J. ready for school and then headed to the dinner.

She was thankful tonight she was off since she had an early shift. It gave her time to read through the news again. Only this time, she knew more than the people writing the articles.

Earlier that day, John had come by the diner a few minutes before her shift ended.

"Two slices of your favorite pie to go," ordered John.

"I will be out with the pie in a few," Carly responded with a smile. She knew John's order meant he wanted to talk with her at the little park near the Big Belly Burger. After they reestablished their relationship as friends, he would occasionally drop by to talk with her like this. She liked it. He was a great friend to talk to and spending some quiet time talking in the park while relaxing at the end of a shift was a nice treat.

The walk to the park was quiet. Carly enjoyed the beautiful day. When they sat down across from each other at their normal picnic table, she turned her head to enjoy the warm sun on her face.

John was ruining the peaceful mood though. He set the boxed pie slices down on the table between them; however, he did not serve the pie. Instead, he fiddled with the sticker holding the lid down. Then he arranged the plastic silverware and napkin. Finally he began brushing all of the tiny locust leaves and twig pieces off the table.

Carly put her hand over John's as he began tracing the letters on the pie box logo. "What is on your mind John?"

John looked up at her dark brown and trusting eyes and then back at the pie box. With a sigh, he began, "You know how Andy and I would come home on a leave from some foreign country and have time to relax and spend with family? But despite all the time we had to share details of our lives while we were apart, we couldn't talk about our active missions. Sometimes it would be on the tip of my tongue to mention what continent we were on or a detail about the local people we met there. But I had to bite back any comment that provided real information about the places we went and our missions." Loosing himself in the reverie, John chuckled lightly to himself, "I would pretend I just had some boring office job so I could spend time with you and A.J. without endangering you or compromising your safety."

"Yes," said Carly simply. John was obviously having a hard time spitting out the point of this conversation, but she did not want to distract him from his train of thought.

"Well, you know I retired from the army years ago, but lately I still had to keep secrets from you about my job." John looked at her with a slightly guilty expression.

"Had to? As in, past tense so you quit your job working for the Queens?" Carly asked, confused about the nonsequitor between John's army job and then his statement.

"No, it's more about what my job actually entails. Oliver Queen can protect himself just fine in public. My job as his body guard is more or less a ruse."

The corner of John's mouth quirked upward at that comment. Carly thought the expression quite enduring on his handsome face.

John continued, "It's more Oliver's secret that has prevented me from really being honest with you. But now I can tell you."

"Wait," instructed Carly. "I want you to be honest with me, but I need to know that what you are telling me is okay for me to know. I understand your job in the army came with secrets. I accepted that. If your job now requires secrets I want to respect that too. Don't think I am going to push you out of A.J.'s life because of your obligations to your job."

John took his other hand out and placed it over Carly's hand still stacked on the pie container. "It's nothing like that. I have permission to tell you this. Oliver said it's your choice to decide what you want to do with the information. And he is willing to protect you and A.J. if you decide that is what you want."

"Protect A.J.?" exclaimed Carly.

John saw the concern in her eyes. "It's not the safest secret to know, but I trust each person that knows it with my life." Diggle knew, absolutely knew, he believed those words. Not long ago he had his doubts about Oliver's motives and morality. He also still thought Roy was young, green, and headstrong, but they were a team which meant they were to be trusted. And of course Felicity's mouth ran faster than her brain, which was really saying something considering she was a sharp cookie. "Yes, you will like this bunch. They have their challenges, but at the end of the day, we are a team."

"If you believe in this team, then you can tell me the secret," Carly said, trusting John's opinion in this situation, trusting his opinion on her child's safety.

The slices of pie Carly and John enjoyed after their talk in the park were two of the more liberating sugary sweets they had ever tasted. Finally knowing that Oliver Queen was moonlighting as the Hood with her John aiding in his crusade to bring justice to the city brought a flood of questions to her mind. The shock of the new knowledge prevented her from formulating any of those questions into actual conversations though.

Later that evening Carly told John to stay safe as he headed off to work with his team, with the fabled Hood. It was still unreal to her. And so she found herself combing the newspapers for any reference to the Hood, the vigilante, the Queens, or even general stories on the status of the Glades. With each story, she began to understand the secret world John found himself in. A world she still did not understand but found oddly intriguing.

Carly was rereading an article from a few weeks ago with a grainy image of what might be the Hood when her phone surprised her. "Hello?" asked Carly when she saw the number was from a blocked number.

"Hi! Carly Diggle? This is Felicity Smoak, I work with Diggle. John Diggle that is, not you."

"Oh, uh, hi Felicity."

"I hope I wasn't interrupting your evening, but I get the impression from Diggle that he told you some important news today. Something about his goofy grin gives it away."

"Uh huh," was Carly's response to the enthusiastic women on the phone. She was not expecting quite this level of enthusiasm when John told her about Felicity.

"Anyway, my boys, that is Oliver, Diggle, and Roy – I get a little possessive of them on occasion – are finally getting along like a team. So I was thinking, would you like to stop by tonight? The boys are training now so they will probably stink, but I bet you want to see this place and guys don't think about inviting people over…" Felicity left the question dangling for Carly.

"Okay," she responded. "When and where?"

They were a team.

Upon Carly's arrival, each of the boys politely introduced themselves and welcomed her to the basement of the club. Felicity was right, three sweaty boys did reek.

Despite the stench, Carly was impressed by the place. Felicity was clearly given free rein to research, track, and monitor the movements of anyone with her sophisticated technological setup. She commanded her computers with authority. She was completely focused on her role in the missions providing intelligence and directions.

The gym and training area Oliver setup was equally impressive. She could not imagine the purpose of some of the equipment spread throughout the basement, but Oliver clearly took no shortcuts when outfitting the gym. From the glimpse of him training when she walked in, and all she had learned from the news, Carly knew that Oliver was completely competent at all sorts of athleticism and combat.

Perhaps what surprised her the most was that Oliver was not making himself the center of everything occurring. She would have expected that the fabled playboy would need to be the center of attention all the time. The same arrogant man she meet at the Big Belly. He would call all the shots and demand to be followed. However, the man she saw her was a stark contrast to the person the media described starting a club to attract women. He possessed authority and influence, but he did not demand to be right all the time. He may have the most skill at the training exercises and target practice, but he would also listen when any of the others had an idea or opinion about how to progress with completing their mission. He did not demand a position of leadership, but earned it by respecting his comrades. Carly respected him for that.

Like herself, Roy was new to the group. Despite the limited amount of time he had spent with Oliver's team, Roy was dedicated to the mission. He would not let his limited experience working with Oliver's team deter him. As he gained experience, his importance to the team would only increase.

And John was a solid pillar supporting the entire group. The mission may not have been his, but he adopted it as his own. She could easily see that he accepted this mission just like he had each of his missions in the military. As long as Oliver's mission was on the side of the right in John's eyes he would put all of his effort into seeing that they succeeded.

She vowed that night that she would help them succeed too. Even if she could just feed the hungry boys when they returned from a mission, she would contribute. She could lend an ear to listen when John needed to talk about his work. When Felicity had enough of the testosterone, Carly could paint her fingernails or gossip about the latest news at work.

Carly looked around the room at the people united in one mission. With sincerity in her eyes she said, "thank you for welcoming me into your secret. May we be successful in completing the mission."

Oliver spoke for each of the people there when he responded, "Welcome to the team."


End file.
